'The Fighter' Movie Review: A Total Knock-Out

I'm not a big fan of what I like to call "boy" movies -- movies about war, fighting, etc. And the new movie The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale definitely falls into that category. With that being said -- This. Movie. Was. Awesome. And I'm not even saying that because of Mark Wahlberg's abs (though they definitely were the cherry on top).

It's based on the true story of two brothers from the Boston area -- Dicky Eklund (Bale), a former boxing legend-turned-bad boy drug addict, and his younger brother Micky Ward (Wahlberg), who's just beginning his boxing career and trying to get out of his older brother's shadow.

The struggles that Micky faces go way beyond the ring. His pushy brother, his crazy hovering manager of a mother, and a crew of big-haired sisters who remind me of a white trash version of the seven dwarves all make his life basically a living hell.

The hero aspect of it is predictable, as most of these stories are, even more so if you remember that iconic trilogy between Ward and Arturo Gatti in the early 2000s, but the family drama woven in makes even the most girly viewers (i.e. people like me) completely hooked. Even the usually annoyingpahk the cahaccent didn't faze me. And that's saying something.

Wahlberg was made for roles like these (it reminded me of his role in Invincible) and Bale played the drug addict so well that I'm almost convinced he's a closet heroin addict. And I much prefer Amy Adams, who plays Micky's feisty girlfriend, in these serious roles. I mean, I know we all liked Enchanted but the scene of her vs. the seven bouffant dwarves and Micky's mom is priceless.

It's already received several Golden Globe and SAG Award nods, so this is definitely going to be one of the movies of the year.